This is the story of how two women, Lisa Hughes and Kris Morgan (pictured) from Wollongong on the South Coast of New South Wales, created Australia’s first designer vibrator.
In recent years adult shops have been trying to entice more women into their stores and if you ask anyone in the industry they’ll probably tell you their attempts to clean up their image have worked. However, there is still a significant number of women out there who don’t feel comfortable walking into these surroundings. For one thing, the products stocked by adult retailers, including vibrators, are still largely marketed to men. One case on point is The Rabbit, made famous by Sex and the City several years ago.
Like it’s predecessors, The Rabbit has a whopping big male appendage attached, which is rather a waste of materials when you consider that most women only ever use ‘the rabbit ears’ part of the device anyway. The design also makes it impossible to hide the fact that it is a sex toy, a replacement if you will for women who don’t have access to the real thing.
For these reasons and more, Lisa Hughes and Kris Morgan decided it was time someone created a better product for women.
“There was nothing else out there that we could think of that was discreet and something that women could feel good about,” said Kris Morgan, co-founder of Love Being Woman, makers of the Be Be intimate massager (vibrator).
It all started when Kris and her friend and business partner, Lisa Hughes, were out jogging one day and the conversation turned to vibrators.
As Lisa Hughes told readers of Mamamia.com.au back in September 2009: ‘We were having a laugh about some of the crazy looking designs, the packaging and how they all seemed to be marketed to men. We couldn’t think of a vibrator that was designed by women for women. By the end of the run, our plan was complete – we would create a vibrator that was discreet, stylish and most importantly worked! We wanted to make it available to women in a fun, uplifting and empowering environment. We would call it Be Be, be beautiful, be you!’
When asked by Australian Women Online, how one goes about creating a vibrator? Lisa and Kris said they began by speaking to other women.
“We held numerous focus groups and found that a lot of ladies who did have The Rabbit vibrator, weren’t even using the penis bit,” said Lisa.
“We were definitely not vibrator manufacturers or designers. Lisa’s background is personal training and I’m an ex-flight attendant,” said Kris. “Like Lisa mentioned, we held numerous focus groups and we found that we were not the only women who were thinking there’s nothing out there on the market that was appealing for a woman. Then we asked women what they would like as far as the colour and the style.”
What the women came up with is a discreet, beautifully packaged product that is comfortable to hold in your hand.
“In the early stages of the whole idea we sat around the kitchen table thinking about a design and we wanted to design something that not only looked nice and was discreet, but something that felt comfortable to hold. It’s pretty much been ergonomically designed so that it does feel comfortable to use and it contours to a woman’s body as well,” said Kris.
When I was first approached by Lisa Hughes to write about the Be Be, I asked the ladies to send me one – after all, I couldn’t very well write about a product I’d never used. When it arrived the Be Be was encased in a beautifully decorated, purple coloured egg, inside a black satin draw-string bag. Included with the Be Be is a purple bookmark with the words, Do you really feel like reading?, printed on it.
“We both come up with the idea for the bookmark – it just sort of happens when we get chatting and the whole intention, like everything we set out to do, was to be discreet. So the idea of the bookmark was that we were hoping it was enough to make women intrigued enough to open the egg,” said Lisa.
After doing their research, the ladies decided the Be Be vibrator could be designed for external stimulation only.
“We found through our research that 75% of women can only climax through external stimulation and that is the whole reason we designed the Be Be that way. It’s obviously what a lot of women need and it’s something they can use on their own, but they can also use it comfortably with their partner.”
But Lisa and Kris are quite adamant that their creation will never be sold in adult shops or be connected in any way with the porn industry.
“That’s a big point of difference to other products. Lisa and I have no intentions what so ever to ever put it in an adult store. We feel that for women who do feel comfortable going there, the market already caters to them. However, there are a lot of women who don’t feel comfortable going to that type of store. We’re looking more along the lines of upmarket lingerie stores where women can actually feel good about buying it and not feel embarrassed,” said Kris.
“We do actually have some stockists in Sydney that are really nice lingerie stores. But here in Australia attitudes are quite different and we are behind in this whole market. In Europe they sell vibrators at Boots the chemist in the UK and they sell them in one of France’s top department stores where they actually do window displays of really discreet sex toys,” said Lisa.
Kris added, “From the women that we’ve spoken to at the events that we’ve been at, women just love the fact that this product isn’t going to be in an adult store and that was our intention right from the very beginning. We felt there was a real gap in the market for those women who didn’t feel comfortable going to those stores.”
Timing is everything in business and the girls picked the right time to launch a product like the Be Be on to the market. Not only were they able to identify a gap in the market and fill it, but with the Internet installed in so many homes across the country and around world, it’s never been easier or more cost effective to launch a new product or business.
“A big thing for us is that we wouldn’t actually be in business if it wasn’t for the Internet. Google has been an integral part of establishing the business and I couldn’t imagine starting this business without the Internet,” said Lisa.
“We just did so much research on the Internet and like Lisa said, without it we probably wouldn’t have been able to do this business. Even today we are forever researching and using Google,” said Kris.
For their marketing strategy, Lisa and Kris are also focusing on the health benefits of owning the Be Be.
Lisa explains, “We have a brief history of the vibrator on our website. It has actually been around since the 1800s when there was this whole pandemic that was going on with women and hysteria. So Kris and I are really on a mission to get it back on track again and take a very holistic approach to it. Looking back at history we feel that it’s really gone off course and here is a beautiful product for your well-being.”
On the Love Being Woman website they talk about the release of hormones that not only make you feel good and relaxed, they can also improve your health. Studies have shown that the release of endorphins can help reduce stress, enhance your mood and boost your immune system.
One added benefit Lisa and Kris were not as prepared for is the number of stories they would hear about women who have been able to reconnect with their partner after experiencing their first orgasm ever.
“Some women in their 30s and 40s have bought a Be Be and actually had their first orgasm ever. It’s also great to hear about women who are getting that connection back with their partner. Kris and I are nearly in tears when we’re reading some of the emails. It makes it all worth while knowing that we are doing something to make a difference for women,” said Lisa.
“Our whole philosophy at Love Being Woman is that when a woman feel’s good about herself, she can give the best of herself to others. Our mission has always been to make women feel comfortable to explore their sensuality and to feel good about it and not embarrassed or ashamed.”
Women all over the world can now purchase the Be Be Intimate Massager (vibrator) at the Love Being Woman website at www.lovebeingwoman.com
WIN YOUR VERY OWN ‘BE BE’
Lisa and Kris from Love Being Woman are giving readers of Australian Women Online the chance to win a Be Be intimate massager. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand over the age of 18. But hurry as entries close at 11:59pm (AEDT) on 30 November 2009 – CLICK HERE TO ENTER
well done.. i have read this blog and this is really a wonderful , innovative and motivational also…
regards
cleon dann